Democrat Michael "Mickey" Harrington is squaring off against republican Jim Nielsen for the seat left open by the premature resignation of republican Doug LaMalfa to replace republican Wally Herger as our representative in the U.S. Congress. Harrington is a Labor Council president, while Nielsen claims to be a rancher and independent businessman, although the only business I see him practicing is that of a self-aggrandizing politician with questionable ethics.

The fact that Mr. Nielsen is neither a resident of the district he strives to represent nor actually occupies a manufactured home in Gerber used to legitimize his candidacy and state per diem and travel expenses is discounted by republican voters so as to pursue their partisan aims.

Jim Nielsen is certain to win since he garnered 49.8% of the vote for this seat last November compared to the paltry 27.7% of his closest competitor democrat Michael Harrington. Unfortunately another Republican, Dan Logue, took 11% of votes that would have likely been cast for Nielsen because he failed to abandon his pursuit of the Senate seat before the ballots were printed.

This alone speaks volumes about the abandon with which republican voters cast votes to keep representatives in office when they cast votes for candidates that have withdrawn from the election. Now because of this ardor and the ambitions of Republican lawmakers all north state taxpayers must shell out over a million bucks for this otherwise unnecessary special election because no candidate received a majority of votes.

So it seems to me appropriate that these millionaire republican candidates should foot the bill for this special election brought upon only due to impatience to fulfill their political ambitions. Although the chances of such a gesture are less than Mr. Harrington's likelihood of winning this doesn't seem to bother most local voters who seem satisfied to fulfill Wally Herger's wish to place Doug in Washington. It seems to this columnist that the supporters of this republican tryst have no problem letting these millionaire politicians play their partisan games at our expense because to question it shows the extent to which some people place party over principle as local Republican Pete Stiglich intimated.

However all is not as hopeless for Tehama County democrats as many assume. According to the county elections department there are 30,211 registered voters in the county, 9,336 registered democrats (30.9%) versus 13,319 republicans (44.1%). This means that if all republicans and democrats voted the party line, that democrats could prevail if they sway 77% of the remaining 7,546 county voters. So a Democratic Party win in the county is not impossible, but is nonetheless difficult as evidenced by the election of Doug LaMalfa to be our representative in the U.S. Congress.

This victory came despite deceptive campaign tactics now under investigation, the hypocrisy of his contempt for federal entitlements while his family receives millions in crop subsidies, admittedly misinformed anti-choice beliefs and cavalier discounting of climate change as only something that occurs with the change of seasons despite record-setting temperature extremes, historic drought, unprecedented hurricane and tornado devastation, and incontrovertible evidence of increasing global temperatures, carbon dioxide concentrations, and sea levels.

Apparently most local voters are not disposed to hold our representatives accountable for the fiscal impacts of their ambitions, taking misinformed positions, callousness toward those that suffer from abuse or misfortune, ethical failures, legal compliance, or failure to seriously address the impacts of humans on our planet. In addition let us not forget the Red Bluff City Council refusal to rezone vacant property to make way for a homeless shelter, despite the fact that it was supported by the overwhelming majority of those expressing support and that time-limited grant funding could have been used for construction and operation.

None of this speaks well of us but such is the apparent will of those in positions of power and influence and their supporters.

The turn-out for the last election was a respectable 72% due to the contentious presidential election and the number of state-wide ballot propositions. It will be interesting to see what kind of turn-out we see for this special election as we might be surprised by the outcome if everyone assumes as do I that Mr. Nielsen will win, rendering any votes for his challenger all the more potent.

In any event all taxpayers should chafe as they go to the polls because in the end republican ambitions cost north state voters dearly.

----- Richard Mazzucchi is a retired research engineer specializing in energy efficiency and renewable energy. He has travelled extensively and now makes his home in Los Molinos, where he is striving to manifest a sustainable and spiritual lifestyle. He can be reached at living-green@att.net.